# Question about polls and forum placement **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 25, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822 "2016-07-25T01:18:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/1 "2016-07-25T01:18:11Z")
I started a Clinton-or-Trump poll in IMHO because the description of IMHO states “this is also the place for polling”. It was subsequently moved to Elections. Fair enough, but now I’m confused. Does this means that polls about movies go into Cafe Society and polls about religion go into Great Debates and so on? If so, what polls go into IMHO? Whatever doesn’t fit into the other forums? And if this is the case, why bother specifying that IMHO is the place for polling? mmm ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/2 "2016-07-25T12:18:05Z")
Pretty sure that’s been there since before we even had actual polls enabled. It might also predate CS and GR, and definitely predates Elections. Pretty sure polls weren’t allowed in GD, so that was never an issue. In other words, it might just be out of date. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/3 "2016-07-26T12:45:48Z")
I can run this around the loop, but my understanding (and I think I’m the one that moved the OP’s thread) has been that polls should be placed in the forum most pertinent to the question being asked. I do think part of the description you’re addressing is out of date, but since I’m technically still the newbie mod, I’ll check with the team. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/4 "2016-07-26T13:14:30Z")
While I try to get you a broader answer about poll placement, I can at least tell you that it is definitely allowed in Elections, [per this sticky](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=656678) in that forum. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/5 "2016-07-26T15:02:40Z")
The description for IMHO predates a lot of those forums. IMHO is the general place for polls. However, if you have a poll on a topic that is very forum-specific, that poll would go in that specific forum. So polls about elections would go in the Elections forum, polls about games go in the Game Room, etc. For more general topics, the poll belongs in IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/6 "2016-07-26T20:59:12Z")
Polls are no longer restricted to a couple of the forums? Cool. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/7 "2016-07-26T21:48:59Z")
They’re not allowed everywhere. So don’t be surprised if you can’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/8 "2016-07-26T23:49:54Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > They’re not allowed everywhere. So don’t be surprised if you can’t do it. Then could we get an official list, please? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/9 "2016-07-29T03:33:18Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Then could we get an official list, please? Not official, but it’s pretty easy to check. Only the ones that allow them have the option to create one from the New Post page. Polls are allowed in: [ul] [li]About This Message Board (for testing, IIRC)[/li][li]Elections[/li][li]Cafe Society[/li][li]The Game Room [/li][li]IMHO[/li][/ul] I’m surprised it’s not allowed in the Thread Games forum. I would think voting might be part of a game. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/10 "2016-07-29T10:03:51Z")
The biggest question of course is why not just turn polls on everywhere? What possible harm could there be? It takes no extra board resources and it’s better than the byzantine maze of rules and regulations that we have now. Why aren’t they allowed everywhere? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/11 "2016-07-29T11:11:06Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > The biggest question of course is why not just turn polls on everywhere? What possible harm could there be? It takes no extra board resources and it’s better than the byzantine maze of rules and regulations that we have now. > > Why aren’t they allowed everywhere? By their very nature, polls (which call for opinions) would not seem useful in General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/12 "2016-07-29T12:14:59Z")
But what harm would it do? Someone might think of a use for them in GQ and if someone posts a useless poll, it doesn’t affect the discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/13 "2016-07-29T15:43:40Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > But what harm would it do? Someone might think of a use for them in GQ and if someone posts a useless poll, it doesn’t affect the discussion. Why do they have to prove it causes harm to your satisfaction before they can decide whether to allow them or not? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/14 "2016-07-29T19:02:35Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > Why do they have to prove it causes harm to your satisfaction before they can decide whether to allow them or not? Since that’s not remotely what I said or implied, I’m not going to bother answering. If you’d like to ask a question based on what I actually said, please be my guest. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/15 "2016-07-29T19:12:33Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > Since that’s not remotely what I said or implied, I’m not going to bother answering. If you’d like to ask a question based on what I actually said, please be my guest. You asked why polls aren’t allowed in GQ. samclem answered that they were deemed not very useful. You then asked “But what harm would it do?”, implying that the only valid reason for not having polls is if it would cause harm. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/16 "2016-07-29T19:31:16Z")
Ditto Great Debates. That forum should be about the discussion. A poll is pretty much the opposite of that. But having them enabled in Elections makes perfect sense given the nature of the forum. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/17 "2016-07-29T19:38:39Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > You asked why polls aren’t allowed in GQ. samclem answered that they were deemed not very useful. You then asked “But what harm would it do?”, implying that the only valid reason for not having polls is if it would cause harm. I’m not going to get into a Dope-Pedant slapfight. Congrats, you win. If an actual mod wants to answer the question I asked, rather than trying to find some bizarre pedantic nuance to quibble uselessly about, I’d be happy to read their response. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/18 "2016-07-29T20:03:30Z")
Me=chopped liver? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/19 "2016-07-29T20:09:27Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Me=chopped liver? Of course not! To us, you are the finest of _pâté_. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-polls-and-forum-placement/760822/20 "2016-07-30T00:27:04Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > If an actual mod wants to answer the question I asked, rather than trying to find some bizarre pedantic nuance to quibble uselessly about, I’d be happy to read their response. Apparently not, since **samclem** rather clearly answered your question. And I would give the same answer. We have different forums based on the type of discussion we want to have in them. Since a poll calls for opinions, there’s no reason to have it in GQ. “What harm would it do” is irrelevant to the discussion.